Dunbia NI’s Dungannon facility employs almost 1,000 people in the procurement, slaughter and de-boning of cattle and sheep, as well as wholesale distribution and retail packing of beef and lamb.

A £27million capital investment by the company will create an intelligent boning hall and upgrade production lines to increase output and support export growth.

(Image: Harrison Photography)

Mrs Foster said: “Dunbia is investing in innovative technology and production processes to enable it to maximise the return on its resources and remain cost-competitive.

“The new boning hall will help the company achieve improved butchery efficiencies and economies of scale, while the installation of new production lines using the most modern automated retail butchery will increase retail packing efficiencies.

“As a result of the anticipated increased output, the company will need to implement further shifts and will be creating 209 jobs to meet this requirement. The new jobs will generate annual salaries of £3.4million.

“This investment was secured for Northern Ireland by Invest NI, which has built up a strong relationship with Dunbia NI. Invest Northern Ireland has offered £2million of support and will continue to work closely with the company as it grows.

“The meat sector plays an important part in our economic success and the sector has continued to grow, despite the downturn. This kind of investment is significant, not just for the future long-term sustainability of Dunbia, but also for its positive impact on the agri-food supply chain and the red meat sector as a whole."

Jim Dobson, Managing Director of Dunbia Group, said: “Innovation has been at the heart of Dunbia’s success and this investment in new production technology will create a centre of excellence for beef deboning.

“It will help us to maintain our position as a leading meat processor in the UK and Ireland and to deliver on our growth strategy over the next three to five years.

“Invest NI’s support, and its ongoing advice, were important factors in our decision to make this investment at our Dungannon facility.”